Permanent railway



UNiTED srafrns rarnwir onirica ROBERT \VATSON, OF CHATHAM, ILLINOIS.

PERMANENT RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,321, dated May 14, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT WArsoN, of Chatham, in the county of Sangamonand State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved PermanentRailway; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichy Figure 1represents a transverse vertical section taken throug'h a reversible orH-rail, showing the same secured ,down to my improved continuouscompound bracket and foot bearing, and this bearing piece secured downto the sleeper or cross-tie by two holddown spikes placed at the edge ofeach projecting lip of the base of said bearing piece. F ig. 2represents two sections of rail and a side view, outside of the track,showing the continuous brackets and foot bearing pieces spiked down inline with the rail sections, locked to the same so that their jointswill come intermediately between the brackets joints, or so that therail sections will break joints with the bracket sections. The sleepersor cross-ties are not shown in this figure.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

The object of this invention and improvement in permanent railway is tosecure a more permanent and durable support for the rails known as thereversible H-rail, which have two rolling tables or surfaces that can beused alternately as one surface wears down. Such rails require chairs oranalogous devices to hold the rails down to the track and to give tothem a substantial and established footing which is found in the singleT-rail, to be a part cast with it. These reversible H-rails not onlyrequire supplemental attachments at their joints, but frequentintermediate braces and supports are necessary to keep the rail in itsplace, and prevent any lateral thrust in consequence of the jar andconcussion of the passing and repassing trains over the rails, for thereversible H-rails have no rail base,-as a base,- but both surfaces willserve as a rolling surface, as they are made double headed, or each headis made in accordance with the periphery or treading surface of thewheels. My invention is intendedto obviate objections to the presentmode of securing rails of the H-form down to the cross-ties, both at therail joints and at points intermediate between the joints.

This present invention will not lessen the cost of laying down apermanent way but in point of durability the present improvement will becheaper, the road will require very little attention as regards theloosening and starting of spikes, springing of rails at the joints,repairing of joints, and many other attentions which are highlyimportant in the present hold-down arrangement for railway rails.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the rail section, Fig. 1, the shape of the rail is clearlyrepresented and from this view the double head H-rail is clearly shown,each head being either a table or base with a thin web or neckconnecting them. This rail is very similar to the present H-rail, but

v two figures of the drawings.

O is a lip near the inside edge of the rail base, B, which curves overso as to form a concavity of the same shape and sizie as the lips of therails head or foot into which the rail fits, with one of its rollingsurfaces resting on a corresponding surface of the base B.

D is a portion extending up from the outside edge of the base B, andwhich is curved over inward, or toward the lip C, suii` ciently far toadmit the rail between its edge and that of the portion D. This portione tends up sufficiently high to t closely up serve to secure the railrigidly within the.

chair, at the same time prevent the fastening from getting loose 1nconsequence of the jar and concussione of passing trains.

The wedges can be driven out and the rail reversed and keyed up again.

The chair, which is continuous, is first gaged and vspiked to thecross-tie by holddown spikes placed inside and outside, and having theheads of the spikes recessed into the chairs edges if found necessary.The expansion and contraction is suitably provided for so as not toaffect the fastenings. The base portion of the chair can be madesufficiently wide to give a rm footing on the cross-ties, andthesechairs may be put down in a permanent and established manner as it willnot be necessary to disturb them in removing the rail, it having anindependent attachment.

The lips C, may be continuous, but the bracket bearing portions shouldbe slightly shorter than the wedges used and between each portion thereshould be a space slightly longer than the wedges, so that they may beinserted between brackets D, and the rail after the rails are laid down.These brackets, on account of their peculiar shape, give. to the wedgesa downward bearing on the outer lip of the rail base, and a slightlateral pressure against the rail neck, which combined hold the railsbase down on the chair base and under the curved lip C, on the inside ofthe rail, while the wedge is securely held in place by the bracket D.These fastenings being placed along the entire line of road, with thechairs and rails so placed as to break joints, and the whole keyed upand spiked down to the cross-ties, a very durable road will be madewhich will be free from the objections att-ending permarient ways of thepresent construction.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let" ters Patent is The employment in connection with therails, of wrought iron chairs of the same length as the rails,constructed and arranged in the manner described, so as to form acontinuous bed or groove for the reception and support of the rails, allas set forth. I

' ROBERT VATSON. lVitnesses THos. B. BOONE, VILLIAM M. BREWER.

